In July 2011, I was invited to train as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa, focusing on HIV/AIDS Outreach. This is what will hopefully become my valiant attempt at documenting my experiences in the days leading up to, including, and following my service.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

18

Some of you are privy to the fact that today began for me at
roughly 02h45 this morning when I woke up for no particular reason and found
myself unable to go back to sleep. Again. Given that the Land of Nod was
nowhere on the horizon, I used the early morning hours to catch up on some
emails and have a very exclusive dance party in my hut. So exclusive, in fact,
that even writing about said dance party is a severe breach of my
self-implemented confidentiality policy here in the village. Although I could
probably walk around in a neon green spandex unitard here and nobody would think
me any more out of the ordinary than usual.

Given my 4hrs of sleep between 2 days, I drifted through my
day in a bit of a daze, which is a shame seeing as my days are numbered.I’m feeling a little frantic and split
these days. Like a dog who is having a hundred tennis balls chucked in every
direction and is so excited by this rarity that he doesn’t know which one to go
after.With the end drawing near,
I don’t want to waste one moment. I want to be everywhere at once and spend
each second soaking up every aspect of life here, from the people, to the
places, to the heat, to the stray dogs, and yes, even to the chickens I’ve been
cursing for their cock-fighting antics since day one.Needless to say I’m finding sleep difficult these days.Sleep depravity is a currency I’m
willing to deal in though, if it buys me more time to be conscious of where I
am, and where I will be leaving indefinitely in the coming days.

Speaking of payoff, or something of the sort, I drifted home
from the office today and found that a certain someone has recently revealed
that he knows my name!As I was in
my room preparing drawing material for the kids who come by after school, I
hear his usual rapping on the door, this time accompanied by something new:
“Pebeh!” he calls. “Pebeh!”. Oh my god, I almost died. Little nugget is
adorable, and far too smart for his own good. Look out world, boy genius is on
his way!